The present invention relates to an apparatus for providing a movable, for example retractable and extendible, screen partition which is releasably secured to a wall at one side edge. The present invention also relates to a hinge device suitable for incorporation into such a movable screen partition.
Screening-off a small area within a larger area is desirable in many situations. One example is nursing and other medical facilities. Screening-off of an area is also sometimes desirable in business offices, workshops and the like. It is desirable for the screen partition in such situations to be mobile or relocatable in a simple manner. Preferably, the screen partition should more or less disappear when it is no longer immediately needed.
Many prior art screen partitions for such use are more or less permanent and, as a result, are extremely difficult to relocate. There are also wheeled textile frames which are easy to place and to move, but which require considerable storage space when they are not needed. As a consequence, such frames are very often left in place even when not needed, with the result that they restrict the space available and often cause considerable inconvenience, instead of serving as a useful screen.